Kindergarten Justice
by TheSilentQuill
Summary: Collins challenges the rules on behalf of his new friend.
1. The New Kid

_Author's notes: Written for Rentfic challenge. This also sprang from the ridiculous school rules I've encountered. What exactly is wrong with wearing hats in school? (Aside from security issues as Longshadowsfall pointed out to me). Since this was written in under two hours, the dialogue may not be exactly how five-year-olds talk. But hey, they're precocious._

Warnings: Cancer, mention of death (Collin's mother)

Disclaimer: I don't own Rent

* * *

Tom Collins jumped off the steps of the school bus and ran into the playground. He was lucky to be on the early bus because that gave him a half-hour to play before he had to endure his kindergarten teacher. Now, don't be mistaken: Tom loved school. He had thought it would be different. Instead of learning history and composition, the class was reviewing the alphabet and numbers to ten. Even art class was boring. He already knew that yellow and blue made green, thanks to his father's paints. He already knew the blasted alphabet and could count to a million. In fact, he could read, had been able to for over a year. It was the last gift he received from his mother before she died.

Luckily, it was still warm outside. Tom knew that when it got colder, he'd have to go right into the school building and he wouldn't be allowed to play on the monkey bars before class. Maybe they learned harder things when it got cold. Outside, he could play with the other kids and get along with them. Inside, they sensed he was different and didn't want anything to do with him. Since there were twenty-five kids in the class, he was often the odd one out when they did partner work. No one wanted to share books with him since he always picked the ones with lots of words and few pictures.

Tom didn't notice the other boy until he almost tripped over him. He was sitting quietly, waiting for the classroom to open. Tom had never seen him before. He was very pale and thin. He wore a baggy coat, corduroy pants that seemed to big for him, and a New York Yankee's cap identical to Tom's. His eyes were hidden by thick glasses, but they had purple shadows under them. Maybe this new boy could be his friend. Tom offered his hand, like his mother had taught him.

"Hi, my name's Tom," he said. "Did you just move to Scarsdale?"

The boy shook his head. "No. I've lived here all my life. I'm Mark Cohen."

"Nice to meet you, Mark. Wanna play on the monkey bars with me?"

Mark thought for a minute then sadly shook his head. "I'm sorry. I can't. I want to though."

"Why not? You look kinda scrawny, but I'm sure you're stronger than you look. I'll be with you if you're scared."

"My mom told me I'm not allowed to do anything to make myself tired. I can play on the swings, though." Tom brightened and led his new friend over to the swing set. He pushed Mark a few times to get him started, because his legs didn't quite reach the ground. Then Tom climbed into the next swing and started pumping.

"Mark, why are you starting school so late? It's already October."

"I've been in the hospital, and then I wasn't strong enough when they let me out."

"Is that why you're not allowed to get tired?"

"Uh-huh. I still have to take a lot of medicine and it makes me feel kind of sick, especially when I'm tired. I wanted to come to school for a long time, but I haven't been well enough to go."

"I hope you're not expecting too much. Can you read?"

"Yeah. The nurse at the hospital taught me on the days I didn't have to take my medicine. She said if I can't run and play, at least I can escape into books."

"Most of the kids here can't. It gets boring. Can you count?"

"To a million. I got bored one day in the hospital. One of the big boys showed me the really big numbers in his math book so I spent the next few days counting."

"Yeah? Me too. Though I was counting when Dad took me to his office. It's almost as boring as kindergarten."

"I hope it's not that bad. Though it's got to be better than the hospital."

"What's wrong with you anyway?"

"I've got something in my Hodgkin, I think. That's what the doctor's always saying to my parents. I had to have this yucky medicine that makes me throw up all the time."

"Gross!"

"And it makes me shake and ..." Mark hesitated.

"Go on. If it's a secret, I won't tell."

"It made all my hair fall out," Mark whispered. "Luckily my Yankee's cap covers my head!"

"Whatcha gonna do when we go into the school? We're not allowed to wear hats in class." Tom commented.

Mark went even more pale than Tom thought was humanly possible. His eyes widened. He looked downright scared. "We can't wear hats? My mom told me I could wear my hat."

"Maybe they'll let you because you have a good reason."

"I hope so. I don't like the way I look without hair."

Just then, the bell rang. Tom and Mark lined up with the other kindergartners at the door. He and Mark were the last two in the line. They walked into the school together. Tom approached his teacher, Ms. Snelling.

"Good morning, Ma'am."

"Good morning, Tom." said Ms. Snelling.

"Ms. Snelling, I'd like to introduce you to Mark Cohen. He's new."

"Thank you , Tom. Hello, Mark. Your mother and I had a talk yesterday. You be sure to tell me if you're feeling tired, alright. Tom, could you show Mark around?"

"Of course, Ma'am." Keeping his tone very respectful, he decided to ask about Mark's hat. The other boy looked so scared that Tom knew he wouldn't be able to ask himself. "Ms. Snelling. I have a question for you."

"Yes, Tom? What is it?"

Tom's Dad had always told him to be polite and respectful when making requests, and he followed that advice. "Well, Ma'am. You see, Mark wants to wear his cap in school. He has a very good reason to do so."

"I'm sorry, Mark. Tom, you know the rules. No one is allowed to wear a cap in school. Even if they do have a good reason."

Mark looked like he was about to cry. He gave Tom a beseeching look. Tom looked at his friend, then at his teacher. "Why?"

"Why what, Tom?"

"Why can't we wear caps in school?"

"It's a sign of respect."

"How is taking off your hat a sign of respect?"

"It just is. Now go take Mark to the cloakroom and join us at the circle." Tom nodded but gave a motion to Mark and led him into the cloakroom. There he showed Mark his new cubby and showed him where to put his outside shoes. "Keep your cap on. I'm keeping mine on, too. I don't see why we can't wear hats. I still respect her even if I'm wearing my cap."

"Me too," grinned Mark.

The two boys joined the circle. They left their caps in place during the National Anthem and the Pledge of Allegiance. Ms. Snelling stared at them. "Boys. You know the rules. Take off the caps."

Tom Stared back at her. "With all due respect, Ms. Snelling. I don't see how removing a cap is a sign of respect. In my church, all the ladies wear hats out of respect to God. If that ain't respect, I don't know what is!"

Mark grinned. "Yeah, Ma'am. In my synagogue, all the men cover their heads out of respect, too."

A little girl with mocha-coloured skin raised her hand. "Ms. Snelling, you don't make me take off my hejab. How is Mark's cap different?" The question was honest.

"Those are all religious reasons. A ball cap is a different article altogether. Take off the caps boys."

"OK, Ms. Snelling. Mark, I've started my own religion and it is only acceptable to God if you wear a ball cap. You in?" Mark nodded.

Ms. Snelling was getting decidedly red in the face. "Boys, this is your last chance. Either remove the caps or go to the principal's office."

Tom smiled sweetly at her. "I'm sorry, Ms. Snelling, but that goes against my religion. I'll show Mark where the principal's office is."

That evening, Tom had to face his father.

"Tom, why were you sent to the office today. Ms. Snelling said you were being disrespectful. What would your mother think? She always taught you to show respect to everyone."

"Mom also told me to stand up for what I think is right. I didn't think Mark should have to take of his ball cap. He had a good reason. The rule was stupid."

"Rules are there for a reason, son."

"But they should be bent from time to time. Mark's going to get teased when the other kids see that he's got no hair."

"Wait, you better explain this to me. Ms. Snelling didn't mention another boy."

"Before I tell you, can you answer a question?"

"Of course."

"What's a Hodgkin? Mark said he's sick in his Hodgkin. Is it catching?"

"You mean Hodgkin's disease?"

"I guess."

All of a sudden, Mr. Collins understood.

"It's not a part of the body, Tom. It's a kind of cancer."

"Like mom had?"

"Not exactly. Your mom had breast cancer, but it's serious like that."

"So Mark could die from it?"

"It's possible, but if he's well enough to go to school, he's probably fighting it hard."

"I wish I could do something else to help him," sighed Tom. "The school probably won't change their mind."

"I'll talk to your principal, but I have another idea about how you can help."

When the bell rang the next morning, two kindergarteners lingered in the cloakroom. In spite of their parents' protests, the rule about caps was not changed, even if there was a good reason to wear a cap.

"You ready?" asked Tom.

"I am. Thanks for doing this."

"It's only right. I still think the rule is stupid."

"But you didn't have to..."

"Yes I did. Now you're not the only one whose bald."


	2. Halloween

_Although Kindergarten Justice was supposed to be a one-shot, I decided to continue the story. Enjoy. Oh, and Rutherford and Bohr were physicists who came up with the correct model of the atom. Most five-year-olds wouldn't know who they are, but I figure Collins would. _

* * *

As Tom waited for Mark outside the school building, he sniffed the crisp scent of burning leaves from somewhere in the neighbourhood. Tom looked in the windows and noticed that the pictures of books, apples and other 'Back To School' items had been taken down. New decorations were slowly taking their place. In one window, there was a display of pumpkins. Another held bats and black cats. Halloween was approaching.

In the three weeks since Mark had joined the kindergarten class, Tom's academic experience had greatly improved. He was no longer alone when they did partner work, Mark liked the same hard books he did, and art class had finally moved beyond mixing paints. Although he didn't fit in with the others in the class, he now had an ally. He and Mark were inseparable. The simple act of shaving his head had formed a deep bond between the two boys.

Tom stood in his usual spot and noticed the coating of frost on the grass. Mark definitely would have to go inside once he arrived. The days were getting shorter and colder and Mark's frail body couldn't take the cold. Tom didn't mind as much as he would have expected. After all, his head got colder now, too.

While he was waiting, he watched the parents drop off their children. Some of them rushed off as fast as they could, having to get to the trains to make it to their jobs in the city on time. Others had the luxury of time and lingered, sometimes speaking with the teacher on duty or the other parents. A few looked at the window displays and smiled. One man in particular caught his attention. Like some of the others, he had noticed the new display, paying particular attention to the window with the black cats and bats. He did not smile. Instead, his gaze narrowed and he went red in the face. He stamped his feet and walked in the direction of the teacher on duty, who happened to be Ms. Snelling. When he reached her, Tom was surprised that he could hear him all the way across the playground.

"You! What is the meaning of this abomination?" shouted the man. Tom could see that Ms. Snelling had said something, but he wasn't sure what. Maybe he should take up lipreading.

"That... those sacrilegious symbols of the occult on your windows. My daughter has the right to attend a school free from the influence of Satan!"

Ms. Snelling looked even more flustered and spoke again. Again, Tom couldn't hear what she said, but it just made the man angrier.

"They are too! Black cats have long been associated with Witchcraft! Jack O'Lanterns are pagan. I demand to speak to someone in charge!" Ms. Snelling made a motion with her hand and the man stomped over to the main doors, obviously headed for the office.

Tom went back to watching other people and had pretty much forgot about the man by the time Mark arrived. Mark was wearing a coat that looked more appropriate on a polar expedition than on the playground. He had a huge parka, complete with fur trim, mittens, a red tuque and a long striped scarf. Tom burst into laughter at the sight.

"Mark, doesn't your mom know you're going to school, not to the North Pole?"

Mark rolled his eyes. "I told her, but once she saw the frost this morning she insisted on me wearing this. I'm starting to sweat!"

"Let's go inside so we can peel a few layers off of you. Although I kind of like the scarf," joked Tom.

"At least it's not the pink one she tried to give me this morning. I think she forgets that I'm not a GIRL."

The two boys walked to the doors and went into the school building. Like the window displays, the bulletin boards in the hallways were changing. More pumpkins, bats, cats and even the occasional scarecrow were on the walls. There was also a large amount of space for new decorations to be placed as they were made in classes.

"Halloween's coming up, soon. Know what you wanna be yet, Mark?" asked Collins.

Mark shook his head. "I've got a while to decide."

"You think you can come Trick-or-Treating with me? We could think of costumes that go together."

Mark smiled. "I'd like that, but I don't know if I'm allowed to go Trick-or-Treating. I still get real tired after school, and Mom won't let me out in the cold."

"Well, there's the Halloween party at school, too. At least you can go to that. Do you think your mom will let you Trick-or-Treat if you dress like an arctic explorer?"

Mark had to laugh. "If she does, I wouldn't be able to move."

The bell rang and Mark and Tom got into line with the rest of their class. Because of Mark's health, the kindergarteners were allowed to line up in the hallways instead of waiting outside for a teacher to let them in. The other kids were also looking at the decorations and talking excitedly about Halloween. As they were waiting to be let into the classroom, the angry man from before ran past. He muttered something about suing the school and stomped out the door.

"What was that?" asked Mark.

"He got mad about the decorations before you arrived. I think he went to see the principal," said Tom.

Ms. Snelling arrived and escorted her class into their room. Tom had to help Mark peel off a layer before he was able to move enough to put the excessive outerwear away. They spent the morning reading stories, colouring and making more decorations to put in the hall. Mark and Tom whispered to each other about different ideas for their costumes.

"Pirates?" suggested Tom.

"No, I was one last year. How about baseball players?"

Tom wrinkled his nose. "Nah. I'm on a team anyway, so it's not like dressing up for me. How about ghosts?"

"My mom wouldn't give me a sheet. Plus that's kind of a lame costume. Maybe someone from a movie or a book?"

The conversation was interrupted when a voice came over the PA system calling Ms. Snelling to the office. She turned to the five-year-olds. "Boys and girls, I have to go to the office for a little while. I don't know how long I'll be, but please finish your worksheets on the letter H. When you are finished, you can play at your centres for the week or else you can read or colour." She slipped out of the room leaving the class muttering to themselves.

Tom pushed his worksheets away and looked over at the chart on the wall. "I think we're at the sand table this week. I can't get the cover off, so do you wanna read?"

Mark grinned. "Maybe we'll find ideas for our costumes." The two walked over to the reading corner and each took a stack of books.

"I don't think the fairy tales are right," said Mark. "Most of them have a boy and a girl, and there's only two of us so we can't be the seven dwarfs."

"We need something that people can recognize, too. I mean, no one would figure the costumes out if we go as Rutherford and Bohr."

"'Specially since I don't know who they are," grinned Mark. The two flipped through a few more books until they finally came across a copy of _It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown._ "What about this one?" asked Mark.

Tom squinted at the picture and then stared at Mark for a minute. "You know, if you wore a big yellow sweatshirt with a zigzag on it, you'd look exactly like Charlie Brown. You even have the bald head!"

"And if the shirt was big enough, it would fit over my winter clothes. Who would you be? Lucy? Woodstock? Sally?" teased Mark.

"Nah, I'll go as Snoopy. Easier to recognize, and people will know who I am even if you're not allowed to go out on Halloween."

"I like that idea. It won't be too hard, either." Mark and Tom made plans to make their costumes over the weekend. Tom even thought his dad had an old yellow sweatshirt that Mark could paint. They were so busy talking, they didn't notice when Ms. Snelling entered the room until she called their attention.

"Boys and Girls, I'm afraid I have some bad news. The school board has just informed the principal that we are no longer allowed to have Halloween celebrations at the school. Our Halloween party has to be cancelled."

The whole class was upset, but no one was more disappointed than Mark. If his mother decided to keep him inside on Halloween night, he wouldn't have any celebration at all. Tom noticed how sad Mark was, so he decided to see if they could get around the new rule somehow.

He raised his hand.

"Yes, Tom?" Ms. Snelling called on him.

"Ms. Snelling, why can't we have a Halloween party?"

"The school board decided that it goes against the rules."

"Which rules, ma'am?"

"The ones about religion not being allowed in school."

Mark thought about that for a minute. "How are black cats and candy religion?" he burst out, forgetting to raise his hand. "I don't think the Torah mentions them."

Ms. Snelling smiled. "It's not Jewish or Christian or Muslim. A parent complained that we're teaching paganism."

Tom raised his hand. "Can't we have a harvest party or something instead?"

Ms. Snelling shook her head sadly. "I already asked about that. Apparently, the Druids use harvest rituals, so a Harvest party has similar problems. I'm very sorry, everyone."

"Is it because of that man who yelled at you this morning?"

Mrs. Snelling nodded. "He threatened to sue the school board if we didn't stop our Halloween activities. Other parents have complained at some of the other schools."

Tom thought for a moment. He had read a lot of books about celebrations around the world. Almost anything he could think of had some sort of significance in the world, so they really couldn't have a party unless it was a different date, and that was kind of beside the point.

When Mrs. Cohen came to pick Mark up, he asked about going Trick-or-Treating but was immediately denied his request. Tom tried to explain about the situation at the school, but Mrs. Cohen's mind was made up. He was very despondent when his father picked him up from school.

"What's wrong, Tom? You're unusually quiet today, especially since Halloween is only a week away."

"Halloween is the problem, Dad. Someone complained about it and now we're not allowed to have a party at school."

"You and Mark will just have to have extra fun Trick-or-Treating, then. Did you decide on costumes?"

"Yeah, Charlie Brown and Snoopy, but Mark's not allowed to go Trick-or-Treating because he's sick. He won't get a Halloween. It's not fair. Just because one guy got angry, Mark has to miss out on the fun."

"Maybe you can think of something to help out. Remember when Mom was sick and had to miss things? You brought them to her. Maybe you could do the same for Mark."

Tom brightened. "Yeah! Hey, Dad? Can I have a Halloween party after school? I'm sure Mark could go to that!"

"That's a good idea, Tom. I'll call his mom to discuss it. I may regret this, but I think you should invite your whole class. Then you can all have your celebration."

"I want to keep it a surprise for Mark. It will be better that way."

* * *

On October 31st, the kindergarten class followed their normal routine of circles, colouring and crafts. The pumpkins remained, but the cats and bats were gone and pilgrims and poppies took their place. The school was a Halloween-free zone. The students completed their work and only made mention of the evenings festivities at recess or when they had some free time.

Once kindergarten was finished for the day, Mr. Collins came to collect his son. "Hey, Mark. I called your mom. She said you can come over for a few hours this afternoon as long as you stay at the house and rest if you get too tired. You up for some fun at the Collins' bachelor pad?" Tom rolled his eyes at the cheesy name. Mark just smiled and nodded.

When they arrived at the house, Collins noticed that there were a ton of cars in the area. Tom had called all his classmates the week before to arrange the party. By phoning everyone, he didn't have to pass out invitations in front of Mark. Everyone was waiting for them. Collins pulled out a bag that he had hidden under the front seat in the van, then motioned for Mark to come into the house.

Inside, decorations of spiders and ghosts, goblins and cats and witches and zombies covered the walls. There was a huge table of food set up. Best of all, twenty -four kindergarteners were dressed in their finest costumes and yelling "Happy Halloween, Mark."

Mark froze momentarily in the doorway. He was so afraid he was going to miss out on Halloween, and here everyone came to celebrate it with him. However, he had one problem. "Tom, I don't have a costume," he whispered.

Tom reached into the bag he had retrieved and handed Mark an oversized yellow sweatshirt with a zig-zag pattern on it. He slipped his Snoopy outfit over his clothes. "Of course you do. Charlie Brown, just like we planned."


	3. Thanksgiving Liberation

_AAN: Sorry this has taken so long. I've had a little block about it and it's a very busy time of the year for me. I know next to nothing about NYC geography, so I accept that my street descriptions may not be entirely accurate and I have no idea if anything I describe is within walking distance of anything else. If anything is grossly misrepresented, let's say it's an alternate universe and the NYC attractions have shifted around._

In the weeks between Halloween and Thanksgiving, the Scarsdale landscape changed as the colder weather came in full force. The frost was thicker and soon gave way to lightly falling snow. The sand on the playground became covered in slush, and the janitor had taken the swings down for the winter.

Mark's Arctic Explorer outfit grew with the declinel in temperature. He still had the parka and scarf, but had the added protection of a long stocking cap, ski pants, lined boots, and huge mittens that went halfway to his elbows. Mark's mother actually did get them from an arctic expedition outfitter. In spite of this cocoon against winter, he was not allowed to venture outside for more time than it took to go from the door to the car. When Tommy learned of these stipulations, a few polite words to Ms. Snelling and the principal gained him permission to stay with his friend. They'd read books in the library or do small tasks for the teachers.

Two days before Thanksgiving, Tommy was playing at Mark's house. Mark was feeling stronger, so his mother sometimes invited Tommy to come over after school. They had a great time playing board games and making things with clay. When Mr. Collins came to pick Tommy up, the Cohen's invited him in for a few minutes.

"Mark, we have to go to the city tomorrow, so you won't be going to school." said Mrs. Cohen.

Mark was immediately suspicious. "Why?"

"The doctor called. You need a check up to make sure the Cancer treatments are still working," said his father gently.

Mark's already pale skin got even whiter. "Do I have to stay in the hospital?"

"Probably not. It's just a checkup this time," said Mrs. Cohen. "Actually, we were thinking it might be fun to make a day of it. The appointment shouldn't take long and there a lot of things to do in the city this time of year. We'd be happy to take Tommy, too."

Mark was not pleased. "I don't wanna go to the hospital."

"You don't have a choice, Mark," said his mother firmly, but gently.

Tommy raised his eyebrow at his father, who gave a small nod. "I'll come with you, Mark. If they're too mean to you, I'll do something. I don't know what, but I'll think of it when we get there."

"Maybe you could turn the doctors into pumpkins, like in that game we played," Mark said with a minute smile.

"Or we could spray paint _I am a meanie_ on those coats that they wear," suggested Tommy. "We don't have to decide tonight."

"Yeah. I still don't wanna go, though."

Mr. Collins looked at his watch. "We better go. It's getting late. I'll drop Tommy off here on my way to work tomorrow. What time is Mark's appointment?"

Mr. Cohen thought for a moment. "Ten AM sharp. With traffic, and finding parking, we probably need to leave at eight at the latest. We'll drop him off at the end of the day, since I'm not sure what time we'll be getting back."

"That's fine. Luckily the next day's a holiday, so I don't have to worry about him being cranky at school in the morning. Just call if you think you'll be out past nine." With that, Tommy and his father went home.

The next morning Tommy entered the Cohen household to be met with an uproar in the making. Cindy, Mark's twelve-year-old sister was having hysterics about something or other. Her parents were trying to clam her down and Mark was trying his best not to be noticed. Tommy took a seat at the kitchen table next to his friend.

"What's going on with her? She's usually not so... shrieky. I can't understand a word she just said."

"She's mad because there's a skating party after school today and she can't go cuz she has to come with us to the city."

"Mom, I'm gonna die if I can't go. You don't need me. I'm not the one who's sick. Why can't I just go to Caitlyn's after the party? Please?"

"We're not sure what time we're coming back, Cindy. I don't want to impose on Caitlyn's parents."

"She said I could sleep over! Puh-lease! I 've gotta go to this party. I'll die if I don't!"

Mark leaned over to Tommy and whispered in his ear, "I think Cindy's got a _boyfriend. _She's always talking bout this guy named Jake. Jake says this. Jake does that. Jake's probably going to the party."

"Will she be like this all day? I'm not sitting next to her!"

"She's worse usually. I hope mom and dad just let her go to Caitlyn's."

Four phone calls and many tears later, Cindy was on her way to the bus stop with her skates over her shoulders. The Cohens had realized it would be much less traumatic experience to let Cindy spend the night at her friend's house rather than argue with her. It had the added bonus that Cindy would not be missing a day of school. At eight-thirty, the Cohen family station wagon left Scarsdale and headed towards Manhattan.

Tommy had been in the city before many times. He loved the hustle and bustle of all the people moving and all of the cars weaving in and out of the different lanes. He loved being surrounded by the concrete walls of skyscrapers and craning his neck trying to see the tops of the buildings. He and Mark pointed out interesting people to each other and laughed at the funny words that Mark's dad was using to describe the other driver's on the road.

Soon they arrived at the hospital. Tommy felt kind of weird being there. He didn't like the medicine smell that all hospitals seem to have. It made him think of the months his mother was in the hospital, which made him a bit sad. When they got to the Oncology wing, he was even sadder because there were so many kids there who looked sick, and that made him think even more about his mother.

They were a few minutes late for the appointment, so they had to wait until the doctor could had a break. Tommy and Mark went and sat next to a Latino boy. Mark recognized him from the time he spent in treatment.

"Hi, Angel. It's good to see you."

"Hi, Mark. You're looking good. Who's your friend?"

"This is Tommy. He's in my class. Tommy, this is Angel. We were in the same room at the hospital last year."

"Are you sick, too, Tommy?" asked Angel, his face laden with concern as he looked at Tommy's bald head.

"Oh, no. I just shaved my head cuz our school doesn't allow caps and Mark would have been the only bald one."

"Yeah, my school doesn't let me wear anything on my head either. No one ever shaved their head for me, though. That was really nice of you."

Unlike the grownups across the room, the boys avoided any talk of blood counts, chemotherapy or anything medical. They talked about their friends, what they wanted for Christmas and Chanukah, their teachers and schools and the new movie that was starting soon. Tommy found out that he and Angel liked the same tv shows and books.

Soon it was time for Mark to see the Doctor. Tommy was surprised that he was allowed to come, too. When his mother was sick, he always had to leave when the doctor did tests. Most of the time he waited in the waiting room until the doctors and nurses were done. He was interested in what was happening and asked lots of questions. The doctor was patient and answered them all. He learned that they were taking some of Mark's blood to make sure he had the right kind of cells in it and that the doctor was feeling something called lymph nodes to make sure they were the right size. Mark didn't like getting his blood taken, but the other tests didn't hurt. They wouldn't know the results of Mark's tests for a couple of weeks, so they were allowed to leave.

Angel was no longer in the waiting room, so they went straight to the elevators and down to the lobby. Tommy thought they were going to head to the parking garage, but, to his surprise, they headed for the main doors instead.

"Why aren't we going to the car?" he asked.

"It's really hard to find parking in the city," said Mrs. Cohen. "It's easier to take the subway around and then pick up the car at the end of the day. I'm never sure what side of the street to park on anyway."

Tommy nodded. "That makes sense. So, where are we going now?"

Mark waited to hear the answer, too. "Well, the toy store isn't that far from here. Then we'll go to the Museum and planetarium. I think there are usually some street fairs around here this time of year, too," said Mr. Cohen. He helped Mark into his Arctic Explorer jacket and the four of them headed out of the building.

Tommy and Mark had a great time pointing out the sights to each other. They saw window washers working high above the city streets. They watched as the crowds seemed to split around obstacles in the sidewalk and brave pedestrians tried to dart between the yellow taxicabs that dotted the streets. Tommy loved seeing the toy store. He had never imagined that there were so many different kinds of toys in one place. He watched electric trains go around intricate displays and looked at kites hanging from the ceiling. He tried to write with a pencil that was bigger than he was and then hugged the biggest teddy bear he had ever seen.

After the toy store, they visited the dinosaur exhibit at the museum of Natural History and then learned about the stars at the planetarium. Mark had seen the dinosaurs before so he was thrilled to show Tommy his favorites and talk all about them. Tom loved seeing the stars, especially the ones that could be seen on the other side of the world. One day, he would like to see them for himself.

After the museums, Mark's mother wanted to go shopping. The holiday season was almost upon them, so she wanted to get a head start on the shopping. At first Mark and Tommy found that it was fun, but after a few dozen stores they had enough. Mark dragged his feet. "Tommy, how many more stores do you think she's going to go to?" he asked worriedly. "I don't think I can take looking at more clothes."

Tommy frowned. "I hate looking for clothes. If it weren't so cold in New York, I wouldn't wear any. It'd save everyone a lot of trouble." He looked around and saw something at one of the street corners. "Hey! Look at that! You wanna go exploring?"

Mark nodded. Even though he knew he was supposed to stick close to his parents, the prospect of escaping the tedium of the clothing shops was much more appealing. "Let's go now, while they're not looking."

The two friends ran along the sidewalk to the corner that Tommy had spotted. There, they found a street fair complete with games, a few rides and a petting zoo. Luckily for them, both boys were allowed to carry their own money and still had some left after the museum gift shop and the other stores they had visited. Tommy wondered what they should do first.

Mark pulled him over to the games. They tried their luck at pitching a baseball at milk bottles and throwing darts at balloons. They both managed to win at the duck pond. After riding a couple of the rides, they found themselves over at the petting zoo. They were feeding corn to a turkey when a little girl came up to them. She had curly hair and was quite upset by something. She was crying.

Mark didn't like to see anybody cry. He was very sensitive himself, so he didn't like it when others were upset. He tapped the girl on the shoulder. "Are you OK?" he asked softly.

The little girl nodded at first, then shook her head no and let out a wail. "It's so unfair! We've got to do something!" she howled. "We can't stand by while it happens. It's just not right!"

Tommy didn't really like it when girls cried. He didn't get that aspect of them, but couldn't help but wonder what was making this girl so upset. His curiosity got the better of him. "What's so unfair?" he asked.

The girl pointed to a man over at the side of the pen. He was kind of dirty and his clothes were ragged. Collins recalled other people referring to him as a bum, whatever that meant. "That man there told me that all of these animals will be..." she sniffed. "...will be...oh it's too terrible...They're going to be killed and eaten!" She cried even louder than before.

Mark was confused. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"You know meat?" She asked. At Mark's nod, she continued. "Well, beef is really cow, pork is really pig and chicken comes from chickens. And this turkey? This is someone's Thanksgiving dinner! We've gotta DO something."

Tom looked at her incredulously. "You mean, Turkey the food is really Turkey the bird? I think I'm gonna be sick!"

Mark nodded. "Yeah, that's right. I knew meat came from animals. I'm Jewish so I don't eat pig, but we have to eat, right?"

Tom looked a little green, but managed to keep control of his stomach. He looked down sadly at the Turkey. "I can't let someone eat him for Thanksgiving," said Tom. "I wanna do something. Mark, you wanna help?"

Mark didn't especially want to help. He didn't really have a problem with knowing where his food came from, but then, he had known for a while. His aunt Abigal and Uncle Ryan lived on a farm, so Mark had had a couple of years to get used to the idea of the food chain, but Tommy was his friend, and he liked doing things with him. "What do you wanna do, Tommy?"

Tommy smiled. "Let's save the turkey from the table. You wanna help?" He asked the girl.

She grinned. "Yes. I wanna do something. Most kids just go a long with what the grownups say. I want to help. I'm Maureen, by the way. Maureen Johnson. I'm from Hicksville."

Tom reached for her hand. "Tommy Collins. That's Mark Cohen. We're from Scarsdale."

"Nice to meet you both," said Maureen. She shook Tommy's hand and then Mark's. "Now how are we gonna rescue the turkey?"

Mark thought for a minute. "Let's carry him across the street. Central Park is right there, so he can live in the park. It's kind of like a farm. We can set him free!"

Maureen was very enthusiastic about this. "That's brilliant! OK. Tommy and me are the biggest, so we can carry it better. Mark, can you sing or something?"

Mark looked like he was about to die at the prospect of singing in public. "Wh- why?"

Maureen rolled her eyes. "Someone has to get everyone to look away while we get the turkey. If you sing or perform magic tricks then everyone can look at you."

Tommy smiled. "She has a point, Mark. The turkey looks kind of heavy, and he'll probably wiggle. Your mom would kill me if you got hurt."

Mark groaned. He knew they were right, and he doubted he could lift that turkey. He found his backpack was heavy going to school and the turkey was a lot bigger. "Why do I have to sing, though?"

Maureen giggled. "You could do something else. Oh! Start crying and say you're lost! Nobody can ignore a cute crying kid who's lost!"

Tommy laughed. "Yeah, that's true. And your parents aren't around so that may work."

Mark looked thoughtful. "Yeah, that's better'n singing." He cocked his head. "Okay, I'll go over there," he pointed, "And start crying really loud. That will be your signal to grab the turkey. Hopefully it won't be too hard."

Maureen nodded and indicated to Tommy to open the fence a little. They jumped into the pen with the Turkey. In a few moments, they heard a loud wailing sound. One that Tommy was surprised could come from his shy friend. "WAHHHHHH! I can't find my MOMMY!"

All of a sudden, almost every grown up in the area flocked to Mark. His illness made him small, so he looked younger than his five years. Mark hammed it up, sobbing, sniffing and crying drawing as much attention to himself as possible.

Maureen and Collins almost forgot about the turkey for a moment, but then the bird ruffled its feathers at them. Tommy decided to take charge, because he was a bit bigger than Maureen. "Ok, on the count of three, we both grab him and kind of hug him. Then we'll stand up together and try to get him out. One... Two... Three!" With that, the two children crouched down and lunged at the surprised turkey.

The turkey flapped its wings and tried to get out of the children's embrace, gobbling very loudly. Mark noticed this and let out another wail to draw the crowd's attention again. After a few minutes, Maureen and Tommy got to their feet and had the struggling turkey between them. "This way!" called Maureen and used her head to indicate the gate. It was fortunate they had opened it, because they both needed both hands to control the bird.

It was also fortunate that the gate opened into the proper direction, so they didn't need to get around the pen to get to the street corner. They waited for the light and managed to keep hold of their struggling fowl friend across the street and into the park. "Where should we let him go?" asked Tommy.

Maureen was concentrating very hard on keeping hold of the turkey, who was wiggling all over the place and trying to flap its wings. "A little further, I think." she said. She didn't want the bird to go onto the road. The two children managed to get the bird in past some trees and then decided to let it go. It was getting extremely heavy. Maureen reached into her pocket and took out some of the feed that she had put there. She felt bad about leaving the bird without anything.

"Okay, I think we can leave it now."

Tommy and Maureen waited for the light again and made their way back to the street fair. Mark was still crying, and no one had noticed that the two children had come back, so they slipped into the crowd. All of a sudden, they heard a frantic noise coming from behind them. "Mark! Mark! Where are you? Mark! Tommy! Mark! Tommy!" It was Mark's parents!. One of the ladies in the crowd called out, "Over here!"

As Mr. and Mrs. Cohen fought their way through the crowd, Tommy realized he was going to have to go, too. "Maureen, I think we did good, but those are Mark's parents and I need to show up too, or they'll be worried."

Maureen looked around. "I better go too. My mom and dad will be worried. Thanks for helping that turkey!"

Tommy laughed. "It was the least I can do. It was good to meet you. I hope to see you again one day."

Maureen smiled back. "I'm sure we will. I have a feeling we'll be friends for a long time." She reached out and hugged Tommy. He returned the hug and then slipped around people's legs and caught up to Mark right before his parents arrived.

"Mark! We were so worried!" gushed his mother. The crowd realized that the young boy was safe and turned their attention to what they were doing before.

"Mark and Tommy! That was very foolish, to go running off in New York City. Anything could have happened to you," Mark's father scolded. Then he did something curious. He bend down and whispered, "Can't say I blamed you. I was sick of looking at clothes as well." He straightened up and motioned for everyone to follow along. It was time to find a restaurant then return home.

Tommy stayed quiet while the Cohens were trying to decide on the restaurant. He had a lot to think about. First, he learned that meat came from animals, and he wasn't sure he'd liked that. Second, he made a new friend, and he wondered if he'd ever see Maureen again. Third, he saved a life... sure it was a turkey, but it was a life none the less. He was satisfied with what he had done, but he couldn't help but think he had forgot to do something.

The rest of the trip went without incident. They went to a buffet place for dinner. Tommy picked at his meat, but ate all the vegetables with gusto. Best of all, they had all the dessert they could eat. They went to a few more stores and then went to Central Park and saw all the statues and the carousel. Tommy thought he saw the turkey, but he wasn't sure. It was a big park after all. They made it back to the car and drove home quietly. Mark actually fell asleep, but Collins didn't blame him. He was pretty tired himself.

The Cohens dropped him off at his house. He thanked them and entered the house. His father was waiting to hear about his day. "How was it?" asked Mr. Collins.

"It was wicked!" replied Tommy. "Except for the part where Mrs. Cohen wanted to look in every clothes store in New York." he then proceeded to tell his father about his day, conveniently leaving out the turkey liberation.

"It sounds like you had a lot of fun," said Mr. Collins "I taped something on the news I thought was funny. Maybe you were in the area at the time." He gathered his son and set up the VCR.

To Tommy's horror, the news showed the street fair that he and Mark snuck off to. Except it wasn't neat and orderly like they had left it. Animals were everywhere. The had somehow got out of the pen at the petting zoo. Then it hit him, He and Maureen had forgotten to close the pen when they took the turkey! An announcer on the screen summed up the experience. "A street fair in the city today was interrupted when the animals of the petting zoo all escaped. Traffic had to be blocked for an hour while keepers rounded up the animals. Still missing is one Tom Turkey. Well, I guess that bird is going to have a Happy Thanksgiving." In the corner of the screen, Maureen was waving at the camera, clearly mouthing 'Hi Mark and Tommy'. Tommy blushed.

His father was wondering about his strange behavior. He had thought his son would laugh at the news item. Instead, he was close to having a panic attack. "Tommy, what's going on. Don't you think that was funny?"

Tommy shook his head. "It was my fault. Maureen and I didn't shut the gate."

Mr. Collins looked extremely confused. "Who's Maureen? And what gate?"

So Tommy tearfully explained what had transpired that afternoon. He finished off with "And the worst part is that people actually eat the animals. I never knew that beef was cow and I didn't think we ate birds... I don't think I can eat animals any more. I had to save the turkey, Dad."

Mr. Collins comforted his son. Though Tommy was young, Mr. Collins knew he had made up his mind and would probably never eat meat again. He made a mental list to pick up some tofu and meatless balls once the stores were open on Friday. "You don't have to, Tommy. I'll make different food without meat from now on. But you're the one who has to explain to your grandmother why you are having a grilled cheese sandwich for Thanksgiving dinner."


	4. Sharing

**Disclaimer: I do not own Rent. The plot of this story was also borrowed from a Robert Munsch book called We Share Everything. Google Robert Munch's official website. You can hear him read it, which is much funnier than what I have here.**

_Author's note: In Nova Scotia, Canada, children cannot start Primary (kindergarten )unless they are 5 years old on or before October first of the year they start school. This didn't turn out exactly how I wanted. I'll probably tweak it soon. It is also unedited because I'm testing the theory of a correlation between posting rentfic and snow days. _

The Monday after Thanksgiving Tommy and Mark arrived at the school a little bit early. It was a cold, miserable snowy day– not the kind of snow that gently falls in flakes, but the hard crystals that are driven by the wind and sting your face. Even Mark's Arctic Explorer Outfit couldn't protect him from every flake. The two friends ran into the school to seek shelter. They were not the first children to arrive.

Sitting in the cloakroom was a girl they had never seen before. She had cocoa-colored skin, curly hair and was wearing pink from head to toe. Tommy wasted no time in trying to make a new friend. "Hi, I'm Tommy Collins. This is my friend Mark."

"Hi," the little girl replied softly. "I'm Joanne Jefferson. I just moved here."

"Cool," said Tommy. "Where did you move from?"

"Canada. I was born there but my daddy and mommy used to live here a long time ago. They wanted to move back."

Mark came over to me to help with his first layer. "What was your old school like?" he asked as I helped him with his jacket. The he couldn't feel the zipper with the huge mittens he was wearing.

Joanne's eyes went wide. "I didn't go to school. Where I lived in Canada you had to have a birthday before October to start school. Since My birthday is in November I was supposed start next year but now that we live here they said I have to go to school. I don't know what to do."

Collins smiled. "Don't worry too much about it. Just get into line with the other kids and go with the flow. Oh, don't forget about the sharing. Kindergarten is big on sharing."

Joanne laughed. "I guess that's not too hard then. I've been in playgroup so I know how to share."

Mark had finally gotten his layers off. "I guess we should go in the classroom. I wonder if it will be inside recess today?" He said.

"Why? We always stay inside anyway," commented Tommy.

"If it's an inside recess Joanne can play with us," he explained. He turned to Joanne. "I'm not allowed to play outside at recess so Tommy got permission to stay with me, but you'd probably have to go outside with the other kids, though."

Joanne nodded. "I figured that. Is kindergarten hard? I don't want to be behind."

Tommy grinned. "Well, I find it too easy. If you know your alphabet, how to count and can print your name, you're not going to be behind."

Joanne sighed in relief. "I can do all of that. I hope I like school."

Mark smiled. "You should. Sometimes it gets a bit boring, but my older sister told me that it's normal." He had just peeled off his snowpants and hung them up on his hook. The three children walked into the classroom and sat down on the mat for circle time.

Tommy and Mark told Joanne the names of the other children as they walked in and by the time Ms. Snelling arrived, she had a pretty good idea of the names of the kids and who had the best recess snacks. Most of the kids were hyper because of the snow. It took a long time for the teacher to settle the class enough to introduce Joanne. The class played a few circle games then went to their desks. Joanne was delighted to find that her desk was next to Mark's

Joanne's mother had worked hard with her on academic skills so the worksheets were easy for her. She went with Mark and Tommy to the reading corner. Although she knew some words, she couldn't quite read books on her own yet. Tommy helped her with some of the words. They stayed out of the way of the other kids.

All of a sudden, the peace was interrupted by a little girl's piercing yell. "Jacob you gimme back my crayons. I was USING them."

Jacob yelled back. "Those aren't yours! They're mine. I need them too, Ruthie. Gimme them!" He raised his fist and was just about to hit Ruthie.

Ms. Snelling practically flew across the room and put herself between her warring students. "Boys and Girls! We do not hit each other! This is Kindergarten. In Kindergarten we share. We share everything!" She took a deep breath. "Ruthie, James, you need to go to the time out mats. I'll talk with you in a moment."

The rest of the class went back to their worksheets and books while the teacher dealt with the issue. The class went to gym class and then came back. Due to the weather, Recess was held indoors. Tommy and Mark led Joanne to play with the blocks. They played quietly with a few other children and built some really nice towers. However, across the room two other children got into a fight. This time, Ms. Snelling didn't arrive in time to stop the blows. Two little boys were punching each other as hard as they could and crying as the blows landed on them.

Ms. Snelling charged across the room. "What on earth is going on here?" she demanded.

The first little boy, a tiny redhead named Sebastian spoke first. "Jeffery hit me."

Jeffery was a slightly larger boy with curly brown hair that spoke with a lisp. "Thath becauthe he wouldn't give me hith book! I wanted to read it."

Sebastian glared at him. "I wasn't done yet. And you just grabbed it. All I did was hang onto it."

Ms. Snelling crossed her arms across her chest. "Needless to say, that is unacceptable behavior. We do not hit each other. This is Kindergarten. In Kindergarten we share. We share everything. You two will have to go to the office. Boys and girls, the rest of you get ready for Art. I'll be back in a few minutes." She separated the boys and marched them out the door to the principal's office.

Joanne was a little unnerved. She'd only been at school for a few hours and already she had witnessed two fights. "Is it always like this?" she asked, nervously.

Tommy shook his head. "Nah. Most of the time we all get along. I think it's the bad weather. My dad always says I go crazy when it snows."

Mark smiled at her. "I think Ms. Snelling's also having a bad day. I once heard her tell another teacher that recess is the only time she gets to take a break. She may not have had a chance to go to the bathroom or something."

"So kids hitting each other isn't normal?"

"No," said Mark. "This is the first time I've seen it happen here."

Joanne was visibly relieved. "Good. I don't want to be hit. How do we get ready for art?"

Tommy pointed to the cloakroom. "We go in there and get our smocks. If you don't have one, there's always a couple of extra."

Joanne smiled. "That's good. I don't like pink, but my mom would get real mad if I got my clothes dirty."

Mark looked her up and down. "I like your clothes. The pink pants and top make me feel happy. I'm sick of wearing these boring robot pants. And mom always buys me blue shirts. She says they match my eyes. Well, I'm getting sick of them."

Joanne looked at Mark's clothes. "I always wanted robot pants. Hey! I've got an idea! Let's share our pants."

Mark thought for a minute. " I don't know about that," he said, looking to Tommy for his opinion.

Tommy grinned. "Ms. Snelling did say that in Kindergarten we share. We share everything."

Mark smiled. "Yeah, she did say that! Maybe we should share our shirts too!"

Joanne took charge. "Tommy, you keep a look out. Mark, turn your back to me. We'll switch clothes as fast as we can."

Tommy nodded and went to the door of the cloakroom. They were the last people to get their smocks, so no one else was near the door. Joanne and Mark changed quickly.

Mark looked surprisingly good in pink. But Tommy could tell there was something wrong with the outfit. "Guy's you should share your socks and shoes too. Marks don't go with pink."

Mark nodded. "Right." He took off his socks and shoes and passed them to Joanne. He was surprised to find out that his feet were the same size as Joanne's. They covered their clothes with smocks and joined the rest of the class for an art project.

It was almost time for lunch once the project was complete. Joanne, Tommy and Mark waited their turn in line to wash up and get their lunches. They ate together at their desks. Tommy had a cheese and sprout sandwich. Mark had turkey in a pita. Joanne had ham on a roll. They were discussing their favorite sandwiches when Ms. Snelling came over to them.

"Mark," she began. "What are you wearing?"

"Pink pants, Ms. Snelling," proclaimed Mark. "I like them."

"Where did you get them?" Asked the teacher.

"From me," answered Joanne.

"Now why did you give him your pants, dear?"

"Because this is Kindergarten," interjected Tommy. "In kindergarten we share. We share everything."

"But we don't share our clothes!"

"Why not?" asked Mark. "I like Joanne's clothes better than mine and she liked mine better than hers. Sharing makes us happy."

"Mark give Joanne her clothes. Boys don't wear pink. It's a girl's color," said Ms. Snelling.

Tommy gave her a strange look. "My daddy said that there were no such things as things just for boys and things just for girls. That's perpetuating gender stereotypes. You're not supposed to do that."

Ms. Snelling was taken aback at the fact that Tommy knew what perpetuating gender stereotypes meant. "You're right."

"Mark should be allowed to wear the pink clothes if he wants to, Ms. Snelling," said another kid in the class. "He's sharing. You told us to share."

Soon all the other kids were agreeing. Ms. Snelling decided to let the matter rest. "Ok Mark. You can share Joanne's clothes, but you have to change back before you go home. I don't think your parents would be happy if you shared your clothes any longer."

Mark and Joanne smiled. "Yes, Ms. Snelling," they chorused together.

The rest of the afternoon passed without incident. The other kids saw Mark and Joanne's clothes and remembered that they were supposed to share. Five minutes before the bell, Mark and Joanne went back to the cloakroom and put on their own clothes. All except for the socks.

Joanne thanked Tommy and Mark for making her first day of school so much fun. She couldn't wait to come back. They agreed to share clothes if they wanted to be different. Joanne's mother spirited her away, eager to hear about her first day of school. Tommy's dad came next and brought him home.

When they left school that afternoon, Mark's mother looked down at his feet. "Mark, those aren't your socks. Why are you wearing someone else's socks?"

Mark looked at his mother and said, "This is Kindergarten. In Kindergarten we share. We share everything."


	5. A Field Trip to Remember

_Disclaimer: I still don't own RENT. _

_Author's Note: Another attempt to bring on a snow day. I'm not Jewish, I don't know anything about Kosher rules. I also have never been to New York and am therefore using any descriptions based on the book, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. I don't know if there's a changing area at Rockefeller Center but and pretty sure there is a skating rink there in the Winter. Again, this is unbetaed._

Tommy and Mark were very excited. Their class was going to the city to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and then go to MacDonald's and finally go skating at Rockefeller Center. Best of all, Mark's mother said he could go, as long as he dressed warmly and went inside if he got cold.

Collins arrived at school a little earlier than usual. He carried his skates in a backpack, along with extra socks and mittens. Ms. Snelling said they could leave their packs on the bus at the museum and restaurant so they wouldn't have to carry around so much. Tommy was even more glad for that when he saw how Mark was dressed. In addition to his Arctic Explorer outfit, he had an extra sweater, extra hat, extra socks and extra gloves. His pack also contained a helmet, knee pads, elbow pads, and a first-aid kit. It wasn't his normal school backpack, either. It was a huge hockey bag, almost as big as he was. Tommy nearly fell over laughing.

"It's a good thing you have that bag, Mark," he managed to say through his laughter. "You're going to swelter in the museum if you have to wear all that stuff."

Mark shrugged. "My mom made me. You know how she is. I bet I can hide a person in here!" He grinned. "At least she let me go. She almost kept me home today, but Dad convinced her."

Tommy smiled. "Well, if we need to hide somebody, you've come prepared." Soon, the other kindergartners arrived. Joanne only had a small bag with her.

"Joanne, where are your skates?" asked Mark

"I don't have any. The ones I had last year are too small."

Tommy smiled. "I think that note they sent home said that you could rent skates if you didn't have them, same as you can bring extra money if you want more than an happy meal at McDonald's."

Joanne nodded. "My mom gave me extra money. I like skating. It's fun."

Mark nodded. Before he got sick, he loved to skate. "What museum are we going to again?"

Tommy took out a paper he had in his pocket. "The Museum of Modern Art. We're going to the Egyptian Room. Then we're going to McDonald's and then skating. Should be fun."

Mark nodded. "I think I've been there before. Mom and Dad usually take me to a museum after one of my appointments in the city."

There wasn't much time to talk though. Soon Ms. Snelling arranged all the kindergarten students into groups for the bus ride. Since there was an odd number of students, she made a group of three with Mark, Joanne and Tommy and had them sit together at the back at the bus, where the seat was slightly bigger. The bus ride took over an hour to the museum. The students kept themselves occupied by singing songs and playing alphabet games.

The museum was very large. The children marveled at its sheer immensity. They checked their coats and then formed a line to await their tour guide. Tommy and Mark were waiting patiently when they heard an excite voice call out.

"Tommy! Marky! Over here!" They turned and saw a an enthusiastic blur heading straight toward them. Maureen nearly knocked Mark over when she slowed down.

"Hi, Maureen," said Tommy. "Is your school here too?"

"YUP! But I don't got a partner so I decided to come say hi to you two. Are you guys seeing the Egyptians, too?"

Tommy nodded. "Then we're going to McDonald's and going skating."

Maureen was outraged. "How come your school gets to go to McDonald's? We're eating bag lunches by the fountain and looking at sculptures in the afternoon. Can I come with you instead?"

Mark grinned. "That'd be fun. But won't your class miss you?"

Maureen shook her curly hair. "Nah. All my friends are in other grades so no one will miss me. The teacher never counts the kids anyway."

Mark thought for a minute. "Ms. Snelling always counts on the bus. I heard a story that last year they lost someone on the trip."

Joanne was the one to come up with the solution. "I bet Maureen can fit in your bag, Mark. That thing is bigger than you."

Maureen looked at the other little girl. "That's a good idea. What's your name?"

Joanne smiled shyly. "Joanne. Hey, you can be my partner on the tour."

Maureen took her hand. "Thanks, Joanne. You're really smart."

The tour guide picked that moment to make her appearance. The five-year- olds spent the next hour learning about mummies and then making burial masks. Soon it was time to get on the bus.

Maureen climbed into Mark's bag. Even with all of his extra clothing, the skates and pads, there was plenty of room for her in the bag. The bus ride to McDonald's was fairly short. The lines at the cashier went quickly. The school had told the children they could all order happy meals, but anything extra they had to pay for themselves.

It took a few minutes for everyone to get off the bus, which gave Maureen ample time to get out of the bag. She joined the queues of children placing orders. Luckily, the workers at McDonald's did not know she wasn't part of the group, and didn't ask her for money when she placed her order for a cheeseburger happy meal.

Collins was in line right behind Maureen. "Hello, I'd like a vegetarian happy meal, please," he told the cashier.

The young woman looked confused. "I'm sorry, but I don't think we have Vegetarian meals. You can have a hamburger, a cheeseburger, or chicken nuggets."

Tommy wrinkled his nose. "I don't like meat. Can I have a cheeseburger without the meat?"

The woman at the till shrugged her shoulders. "I'll ask." It took a few minutes but she came back smiling. "They'll take the meat off. You still want ketchup and mustard?" Tommy shook his head.

The four children went over to sit in a corner so they could hide Maureen further. Mark became slightly concerned. "Maureen, if you come to Scarsdale with us, how are you going to get home? And won't anyone miss you at the museum?"

Maureen shook her head. "They probably won't notice I'm gone until they get back to the school. And I'll just go to Tommy's house and call home," she grinned.

Tommy shrugged his shoulders. "That's fine with me." He took another bite of his burgerless cheeseburger and made a face. "This isn't good. Maybe if they made it like a grilled cheese sandwich, it would be better, but it just tastes like a bun with cheese."

Mark grimaced. "Have some of my fries. I'm not hungry any more."

Tommy gratefully accepted the fries. He was glad that fries didn't have meat. He could still enjoy McDonald's.

Maureen took some coins out of her pocket. "I have enough for some ice cream. Anyone else want some?"

Joanne nodded. Tommy declined by shaking his head. Marks fries had filled him up.

"What about you, Mark?" asked Maureen.

"I can't," said Mark. "It's a meat day. I can't have milk, too. It's not kosher." He frowned for a minute. "At least, I don't think it is. I just know I'm not supposed to have milk and meat together. I don't really understand kosher."

Maureen giggled. "Me neither. But my family's reform and we don't follow all the rules."

"What's kosher?" asked Joanne.

Tommy was the one to explain it. "Mark and Maureen are Jewish. Kosher means following some kind of food rules. I don't know all of them but Mark's mom has two sets of dishes and they never eat milk and meat together. They also don't eat pork or shellfish."

Joanne nodded. "It's a good thing Mark doesn't live in Nova Scotia. Everyone eats lobsters. I hate lobster. It's gross." She then hurried over to buy ice cream with Maureen, in spite of the fact that it had just began to snow.

Mark sat in his seat for a moment. "Tommy, I'm getting kind of tired. Will you help me at the skating rink? I wasn't a very good skater before I got sick, and I don't know if I can do it now."

Tommy nodded. "I'm a good skater. In the summer, Dad got me rollerskates, too. It's not exactly the same but you do need balance. I'll help you."

The two girls came back and started eating their ice cream really fast. They were having a race to see who could eat their cone the fastest. It ended as a tie when both girls got ice cream headaches and Ms. Snelling announced it was time to get back on the bus.

Maureen hopped back into Mark's bag. Tommy had taken some of the clothes out this time because he knew it would take a while for Mark to get ready to skate. By the time the bus got to the Rockefeller Center, Mark had almost all his extra clothes on. Mark had to help him off the bus. Maureen crawled out of the bag and stood up in the middle of the bus, joining the line to get off. She and Joanne went to rent skates.

Tommy put his skates on then helped Mark with his. The two of them slowly made their way to the ice. Mark was tired already from the trip and the added weight from all of his padding and extra clothing weren't helping much. He could barely slip his foot forward.

Tommy was a good skater. When he was three, his mother taught him how to skate. At age four, he was in a class that taught the basics. He was planning to take lessons again in the new year, but wasn't sure if he wanted to learn hockey skills, speed skating or how to do jumps and tricks. He realized that the best way to help Mark was to hold both his hands while he skated backwards. Mark's balance was good. He could skate a bit, but he was almost too tired to move. With Tommy doing all the work they went around the rink twice before Joanne and Maureen had gotten on the ice.

Joanne was a confident skater, too. She wasn't as fluid as Tommy, but she knew how to skate forwards and backwards and she could stop. Maureen, on the other hand, had never skated before. Her arms flailed. Her ankles wobbled. After only a minute, she ended up on her rear end.

"Hmmph," she said with a pout. "I don't like skating. I'm no good at it."

Tommy let go of Mark for a minute to help her up. "Joanne, why don't you pull Maureen, like I'm pulling Mark. It may be more fun for Maureen."

Joanne nodded and the four children skated around together. As long as Maureen was relaxed, it worked, but as soon as she tried to move, she'd fall. On her fourth fall, she took Mark down with her.

"Ouch," said Mark, rubbing his hip. It was the one part of his body that wasn't covered by extra padding.

"Are you hurt, Mark?" asked Maureen with deep concern.

Mark shook his head. "Just a bruise I think."

"I'm sorry. I can't control myself," said Maureen sadly.

Mark laughed. "No you can't! But I know it was an accident." He managed to get up on his feet again. "C'mon Tommy! Let's go around again."

Tommy smiled. "Sure! Me and You can race Mo and Jo! On your mark, get set, Go!" He and Mark skated as fast as Tommy could go backwards. Mark told him which way to steer to avoid collisions. Maureen and Joanne weren't so lucky and knocked over a whole group of people playing Crack the Whip.

"We win!" shouted Tommy. He looked over to Mark, noticing that his friend looked a bit tired. "Are you tired, Mark? If you want to get off the ice, it's OK with me."

Mark nodded. "It's going to take a while to get all this stuff off again. And I'm kind of tired." Tommy pulled him over to the edge of the ice and onto the changing area. It only took a few minutes for him to take off his skates and change into his shoes, but it took Mark almost twenty minutes, even with Tommy's help.

By that time Joanne and Maureen were off the ice and in their shoes as well. Mark was really tired, so Maureen carried his bag and Joanne and Tommy helped him onto the bus. Maureen quickly climbed into the bag before Ms. Snelling could see her.

Ms. Snelling did a quick head count and seeing that all the students were on the bus, told the driver to take them home. Little did she know there was a stowaway on board. Mark slept the entire way back to Scarsdale. Tommy was a bit worried about him. He noticed that Mark was limping a little bit after they got off the ice.

When the bus pulled into the schoolyard, Maureen got out of Mark's bag and hid under one of the seats a few rows ahead, so she could sneak out of the bus easily. Joanne distracted Ms. Snelling by asking for help carrying Mark's bag. He was too tired to carry it himself. Tommy actually had to help him off of the bus.

Tommy's Dad had volunteered to pick up both Mark and Tommy. Being a muscular man, he took one look at Mark and carried him. He didn't notice the curly-haired girl following his son until they reached the car. "Wait a second!" he exclaimed. "Who are you?"

Tommy put on his best puppy dog eyes. "Dad, can Maureen come for dinner tonight? Please? She's a good friend."

Maureen used her well-practiced pout. "Yes, please, Mr. Collins?"

Tommy's dad looked at the little girl for a moment. "Maureen? Are you Maureen Johnson?"

Maureen smiled. "Yes! That's me. How did you know?"

Mr. Collins looked at her again. "Your picture is all over the news. The police thought you were kidnaped from the Museum of Modern Art. How did you get to Scarsdale?"

Maureen looked rather pleased at that. "Really? I'm on TV again? Cool! Oh! I got bored with my tour and joined Tommy and Mark's instead. Then I went with them because their school was going to McDonald's and mine was only having sandwiches in the basement. Yuck!"

"I suppose I better get Mark home," said Mr. Collins. "You can call your parents from his place."

Maureen nodded and climbed in the car. They drove Mark to the Cohen residence and watched Mrs. Cohen fuss over Mark. She also chastised Maureen for making her parents worry. She phoned them, and the Johnson's got directions to the Collins residence in order to pick up their wayward daughter.

Maureen watched the footage on TV while she waited for her parents. Something was bothering her. "Mr Collins, when did they start looking for me?" she asked.

Mr. Collins thought for a moment. "They didn't realize you were gone until the bus got back to your school at two."

Maureen looked at Tommy. "Told ya! They didn't notice until they got back. I left the group at nine-thirty!"


	6. Of Holiday Pageants and Hellions

Tommy was somewhat tired when he entered the school building the following morning. He had been up past his usual bedtime the night before. It had taken Maureen's parents a bit longer than expected to drive from Hicksville due to the snow. They had stayed for dinner and by the time they had left, Maureen and Tommy had each other's addresses and phone numbers, and a promise from their parents to be allowed to see each other over the Holiday break. The Johnsons had extended the invitation to Mark, as well, and Tommy couldn't wait to tell him.

For once, Tommy had to rush to make it to circle before the bell rang. He had overslept slightly and so arrived at school later than usual. He quickly took off his coat, changed from his boots to his shoes, and  
hung up his backpack and rushed to join the circle before the bell rang. It wasn't until Ms. Snelling was taking the attendance that Tommy realized that Mark wasn't in class. It didn't really worry Tommy too much, though. Mark was very tired after the trip, so Tommy suspected that Mrs. Cohen just kept him home to rest. He turned his attention to Ms. Snelling, who, for once, did not have a marker and  
chart paper set up.

"Boys and girls, as you know, this is the last week of school before the holidays. Every year, our school does a holiday pageant for the parents."

Several of the children looked a little bit confused. Joanne frowned then raised her hand. "Ms. Snelling, why are we having a beauty pageant for the parents? Won't they look silly in the little crowns?" Some of the other children nodded in agreement.

Ms. Snelling looked puzzled for a moment, then realized why the children were confused. "No, dear. A pageant can also be a performance or play. I meant that we are doing a Holiday play for the parents. Haven't you been working on songs for it in your music class?"

Tommy raised his hand. "All we've done in music class for the past couple of weeks was sing a song called 'Soldier Boy March' and practiced walking back and forth."

Ms. Snelling nodded. "That sounds right. Mrs. MacLeod told me you were doing The Nutcracker Prince and all the kindergartners are the toy soldiers. Each class does a part. Some of the older children will  
have bigger roles that tie the story together. Because of the pageant or schedule will be a bit different until the break. This morning, you'll be going to the gym during music time with the other kindergarten classes. This afternoon we'll be working on paper hats for you to wear. Tomorrow we'll be going to the gym all morning while we run through the whole play so you can see the whole thing."

She was interrupted by a knock at the door. At Ms. Snelling's call, an older girl came inside the classroom. "Mrs. MacLeod is ready for the kindergartners. She sent me to tell you."

"Thank you, Stacey," replied Ms. Snelling. "Boys and girls, please line up at the door."

Fifteen minutes later, Tommy was marching across the stage at one end of the gym next to a boy with blond hair and green eyes. At first both of them listened well and marched at the right pace, looking  
straight ahead. But after the twelfth time across the stage, the blond boy was starting to get bored. He started wiggling and turning a bit when he was supposed to keep his upper body still. Then he made  
faces whenever Mrs. MacLeod's back was turned. Finally, he marched backwards. Tommy couldn't help but giggle when he saw that, but thankfully, Mrs. McLeod didn't notice as two children in the middle of  
the stage had crashed into each other.

After three more repetitions of the song (complete with faces, jazz hands and high kicks, courtesy of the other boy) the bell mercifully rang for recess. Since Mark was not there, Tommy found himself being  
directed through the cloak room to get his coat and onto the playground. Tommy wasn't certain where he wished to go. Much of the playground equipment was covered in snow and ice, so the teachers  
wouldn't let the students use it. Some kids were attempting to make forts and snowmen, but Tommy didn't really feel like doing so, knowing he'd get wet from the snow. He watched a few people attempt to start a snowball fight, only to scatter when a teacher came near. One of the instigators headed in his direction and hid behind him. "Hey, if she asks, I've been with you the whole time, 'kay?"

Tommy nodded before turning around. When he saw the other boy's face, he smiled with recognition. It was the blond boy from the other kindergarten class. "Hey, I know you! You were the one marching  
backwards during Soldier Boy March!"

Roger's grin got wider, obviously pleased that he had been recognized. "Yeah! That's me. I'm Roger Davis. I'm a hellion," he said, proudly. "Well, that's what my teachers and my stepfather say."

Tommy giggled. "Tommy Collins, anarchist. Well, that's what my dad says I am."

Roger shook his hand. "I don't think I've met an anarchist before. What's an anarchist anyway?"

Tommy thought for a moment. "I think Dad said it was someone who doesn't believe in having dumb rules."

Roger nodded. "Well, that's a good thing to be then, not like being a hellion. I get into trouble a lot. But that may be because I'm hyperactive, too. I'm a hyper hellion."

Tommy laughed at that. "You're a hilarious hyper hellion. That was so funny when you marched backwards. You should do it in the show! It would make it better." Before Roger could reply, the bell rang and all the students headed back into the building.

The rest of the day was uneventful, but a little bit boring for Tommy. He missed having Mark around. He finished his worksheets first and helped Joanne with hers. Since it was so close to the holidays, they  
were mostly doing work about winter words and holidays, or reviewing the concepts from earlier in the year. More than once, Tommy took out the chapter book that his dad suggested he keep in his desk. As  
promised in the afternoon, the class made black paper hats with yellow buttons on them. Tommy and Joanne made an extra one for Mark, so he'd have one for the concert.

Mr. Collins was working in his home office when Tommy got home from school. He had the door closed, which was a signal to Tommy that he was very busy and shouldn't be disturbed. Because he had no homework and he didn't feel like reading, Tommy sat in front of the TV set and flipped through the channels. Most of the channels had soap operas on after school, so he ended up watching a rerun of ZOOM on PBS.

After the show, Tommy switched off the television set and went to find something else to do. He read for a while, then tried to play some of his games by himself. His father emerged from the office for a  
little while and attempted to play a game, but he really didn't understand it. Mr. Collins had a number of things to do and couldn't play all day so he retreated back into the office. He tried to phone Mark to find out if he would be back at school in the morning, but Mrs. Cohen said that Mark was so tired that he shouldn't be out of bed at all, even to come to the phone.

Tommy was desperate for something to do. He even considered asking his father for chores. He was just about to knock on the office door, when some movement out the window caught his attention: People were milling around outside of the house across the street. It had been empty for the last several months. The older couple who had lived there most of Tommy's life had decided to move to Florida before the weather turned cold. Tommy could see a large truck turning onto the street. Sure enough, it stopped across the street.

He spent the next couple of hours watching men unloading the truck and carrying furniture and stacks of boxes into the house. He played a game, trying to guess the kinds of people that would be living there from their belongings. The matching purple and white bedroom furniture told him that they probably had a girl. His excitement grew when they brought out red and blue furniture and a bike that looked like it was meant for someone his age.

By the time Mr. Collins had entered the kitchen to start dinner, the truck was empty. Tommy was washing his hand so he could help, when he heard a knock on the door. He ran to the window to check to see who it was. "It's a man and a boy. I don't think I know the man, but the boy looks kind of familiar," he told his father. Mr. Collins motioned for Tommy to open the door.

A tall man with light brown hair and blue eyes entered the house, followed by a familiar blond. "Roger!" Tommy said, excitedly.

The tall man smiled. "Oh, good, you know each other. I'm Karl Trommler. This is my son, Roger. I'm sorry to intrude, but we just moved across the street. Would you mind if we used your phone?"

Mr. Collins motioned them towards the phone. "Not at all." He then turned to the two children. "Roger, what grade are you in at school?" He had met everyone in Tommy's class at Halloween but didn't recall  
seeing Roger.

"Kindergarten. In Mrs. Steeves' class," replied Roger.

"Roger's a hellion, Dad," volunteered Tommy.

Mr. Collins tried to keep a straight face. "Where did you hear that?"

Roger piped up, eager to talk about himself. "That's what people say when I can't settle down. 'Roger, you're a hellion. Please go sit over there and stop dancing on the tables.'" He brushed the hair out of his eyes. "Well, sometimes they tell me to stop pulling other kids' hair or coloring on the walls or packing myself into big boxes or putting snow down my stepsister's coat or..."

"I get the picture," said Mr. Collins.

Mr. Trommler returned to the living room. "Thank you so much. Our phones weren't working yet, and I had to look into that."

"Did you find out the problem?" asked Mr. Collins.

"It turns out I mixed up the date when I scheduled the change in services," he said sheepishly. He turned to Roger. "I ordered pizza, too. I figured your mother wouldn't want to cook tonight, and I don't think you'd like what I'd make."

"Al l you know how to cook is sausages and mashed potatoes. Yuck!" Roger scrunched up his face in disgust.

"Let this be a lesson to you: don't serve five year-olds black pudding. They'll never let you hear the end of it."

"Pudding's supposed to be dessert, not meat!" said Roger.

It was Tommy's turn to scrunch up his face. "Meat, gross! I'm a vegetarian," he explained.

Mr. Trommler nodded. "Anyway, we probably should get back to the house. I know we'll be seeing you around. "

Tommy waved as his father called after the new neighbours. "Nice to meet you. Just ask if you need anything ".

It snowed through the night, leaving the roads somewhat slippery and the school buses unable to get down Tommy's street. Tommy's dad let him know that he would have to drive him to school. Tommy was pulling his coat over his black pants and white shirt when a he heard a knock at the door. Mr. Collins opened the door to find Roger, dressed in his own black pants and white shirt and ski jacket, standing next to a blond woman and an older girl wearing a red dress and a wool coat. The woman stepped forward.

"I'm really sorry to bother you. I'm Kathy Davis-Trommler. My husband mentioned you had a son that's Roger's age. I'm kind of in a bind here. Karl went to work early this morning, taking the car, so I can't drive the kids, but since the phone and cable companies are coming over, I can't really leave this morning. Could you take Roger and Stacey to school with your son?"

Mr. Collins smiled. "Of course I can. I'll make sure they get there. Do you need a ride to the pageant this afternoon, too?"

"Yes, that would be wonderful. Everything's been so hectic with the move, and with the time of year, it's been hard to get everything done. Karl's extra busy at work because of the holidays. I think he may have forgotten that I needed the car to see the pageant."

"I'll pick you up this afternoon, then. Oh, isn't that the phone company there?" He pointed at the van that was pulling up across the street.

Roger's mother quickly muttered a thank you, and ran across the street. Tommy had pulled on his coat and boots and they headed towards the car. Roger and Tommy sat in the back seat, leaving the front for Stacey. Although Roger was excited to ride to school with Tommy, he was careful to keep his voice down, so Mr. Collins wouldn't hear what he was saying. They first talked about the snow and Christmas vacation, but soon the conversation turned toward the pageant.

"Tommy, I don't like Soldier Boy March. It's boring. I don't like the song and the marching is boring too. We've got to do something."

"I don't like it either. Why do we all have to be the same. Even the girls have to be boys."

"We should sing something else like We Wish You a Merry Christmas, or Jingle Bells. Jingle Bells is much better than Soldier Boy March."

"Too bad we can't just stop in the middle and have everyone sing Jingle Bells."

"Ha ha. Everyone should sing Jingle Bells, Batman Smells. That would be even better."

"Wouldn't Mrs. McLeod get upset? I mean, she was bright red when those kids crashed into each other and she didn't even see you! She'd probably turn purple if we did that."

A huge grin spread across Roger's face. "You really think she would? I've never seen anyone turn purple before. That'd be amazing. Plus we could sing a better song."

"I'd like that, but I don't think we can change it this morning. We'd get in trouble. But maybe we can sit together while we have to watch the show this morning. If they let the classes mix up."

Roger smiled. "Yeah. That'd be great."

Tommy and Roger parted ways at the door. After a few minutes it was evident that Mark was absent from school again. Tommy sat with Joanne at circle and Ms. Snelling went through the morning routine of talking about the date, the weather, the daily news and counting the number of days they were in school. Soon it was time to line up and go to the gym to rehearse the pageant.

Because they were the youngest in the school, the kindergartners performed first. This time, they only had to go through the piece twice. Roger still made faces, but he was reasonably well-behaved. Much to the children's delight, they had to sit in the order they appeared on stage. Tommy sat between Joanne and Roger. The play was kind of long and after three grades had performed, all three were fidgeting. The pageant was only loosely based on the Nutcracker ballet: it had other songs interspersed the Tchaikovsky score. It wasn't long before the children were all wiggling, shifting and whispering.

"Joanne, do you like our song?" asked Tommy.

"No, I like the outfit, but I don't want to play a boy."

"Roger thinks we should sing Jingle Bells Batman Smells instead."

"That's a good idea. If we do, I can play it on the piano. I've been taking lessons!"

Tommy passed on the message to Roger, who was quiet for a little while. He was thinking. When he finally spoke, the fourth graders were performing the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. "Ok, I'll spread the word to my class and you can tell your class that we're all going to sing Jingle Bells Batman Smells. When Tommy and I get to the middle of the stage, we'll take off our hats. That's the signal for everyone to run to the middle of the stage. Someone needs to tell Mrs. Mah's class at recess, too."

Tommy looked at Roger in admiration. "You may be a hellion, but you're also a genius. I bet we can spread the word before the play is over."

By the time the students returned to their classrooms, the word had spread amongst the ranks of kindergartners about change in the song, as well as the rumour that Molly was a poopypants. During lunch, the kindergartners reconfirmed their signals.

The school Holiday Pageant started without a hitch. All the children were lined up, wearing paper hats and immaculate shirts (aside from the occasional lunch stain). The record player started blasting the stirring march beat and pairs of five-year-olds marched across the stage, meeting with another pair in the centre and crossing paths. All of the parents' eyes were on the children when the two in the centre removed their hats. Suddenly, all the children rushed to the stage except for one girl, who turned off the record player and ran to the piano. She counted to three and all of the children started to sing.

_Jingle Bells, Batman Smells_

_Robin laid an egg_

_The batmobile lost its wheel _

_And the joker got away_

Although many of the parents were surprised by the lyrics, the fact that all of the kindergartners were doing the same thing made them believe it was part of the show. When the children finished their song, their parents applauded loud and strong. All of the children left the stage with huge smiles except for one.

"Roger, why aren't you happy? We did it! And we didn't get caught!" exclaimed Tommy.

Roger grumbled, "I'm just disappointed. Mrs. McLeod didn't turn purple. The darkest she got was bright red."

* * *

_Author's note: Sorry for the wait. I had a RENT filled summer. I travelled 1000 km to Boston to see the tour, gettting stopped at the border in the process, but it was totally worth it! I got to meet Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal. When I got back, I found out there was a new theatre company launching 2 hours away from where I live and their first production was RENT, so I saw that three times and introducing my brother to RENT in the process._

_ Alas, work begins tomorrow, but I started using this story as a listening with some of the kids I work with and they really enjoy it, so I can write fanfiction and call it work now. :)_


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